While we’ll be happy to erase 2016 from our memories – entertainers lost, elections won, wars waged and so on – it has actually been a pretty great year for video games, all told. Tons of amazing titles, some cool new hardware… it’s going to be a tough year to beat.

But 2017 could be a real contender. We’ll see two new consoles make their debut – the Nintendo Switch in March, and a powerful new Xbox towards the end of the year – and an absolute boatload of what we’re hoping will be incredible games.

While it’s too early to tell if all of these titles will live up to their potential (or if they’ll even make it out in 2017 without being delayed), here are the 17 games we’re most looking forward to in 2017.

If this sequel to 2010’s unforgettable action-adventure game actually hits its late 2017 release window, we’ll eat our 10-gallon hats. But it is our most highly anticipated game of 2017 and we can’t wait to saddle up and ride back into the gritty Old West.

This PlayStation 4 exclusive is shaping up to be not only one of the best-looking games of 2017, but one of the most original open-world games of recent years. A primitive, post-apocalyptic world overrun by robot animals? Sign us up.

We’re pleased to see that Capcom is taking the Resident Evil series back to its horror roots, though the change to a first-person perspective is a gamble that might alienate some fans. Then again, there’s no way it could be as bad as Resident Evil 6. Seriously. No way.

We were surprised when 2014’s South Park: The Stick of Truth not only captured the essence of the show and its characters, but was a damn fine RPG. The Fractured but Whole (say it quickly out loud) will follow in those footsteps, riffing on superhero oversaturation.

Edmonton’s own BioWare is kicking off a new chapter in the Mass Effect sci-fi role-playing game saga, and we can’t wait to see what it will look like on the current generation of video game hardware. Or see how many aliens we’ll be able to romance.

This complete re-imagining of the acclaimed 2006 first-person shooter has stunned us with its impressive trailer, and it’s looking a lot like a spiritual successor to the amazing System Shock games. Except in Prey you can turn into a… coffee cup?

If there was a franchise in need of reinvention, it was God of War. Sony is really shaking things up with this sequel/reboot, from a grizzled old Kratos to a whole new camera and control scheme. We’re not certain this one will land in 2017 but we’re really hoping it does.

What better way to wish the one you love a happy Valentine’s Day by heading into battle together and lopping off your enemies’ limbs? This is sort of a tactical multiplayer sword fighting game with a whole lot of other cool stuff layered on. To victory!

We’ve heard very little of late from the makers of the third entry in the Crackdown saga, but we expect it to get a major reveal at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June, if not before. We can’t wait to start blowing things up in its massive, multiplayer open world.

The Ghosts hit the road in yet another open-world game making its debut in 2017. From our previous hands-on time with Wildlands, we know it’s going to be crazy fun raiding a drug overlord’s sprawling compound with three of our closest co-op friends.

Another PlayStation exclusive that doesn’t have a firm release date (but that we’re hoping sneaks into the 2017 calendar), this one is like a mix of The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy. Because who’s better equipped to survive a zombie apocalypse than bikers?

Our hope was starting to fade that this incredibly animated run-n’-gun platformer would ever get a release date, but it is allegedly coming out in 2017. Looking like a 1930s cartoon come to life, it’s one of the most visually impressive indie games we’ve seen.

Batman duking it out with Superman on the big screen was a bit underwhelming but this sequel to the awesome fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us will let us pit a slew of DC heroes and villains against each other. It’s by the makers of Mortal Kombat, so ’nuff said.

With a similar vibe to Banjo-Kazooie – it’s sort of a cousin to that game and made by some of the same folks – this one looks to be bringing back the fun and flavour of the platformer-type games of the late ’90s.

Not that we advocate drinking and gaming but this hilarious co-operative pirate game is even better with a yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum. We can’t wait to assemble a crew of friends and set sail in search of booty. And also treasure. Treasure is good.

This latest cinematic adventure from the minds behind Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls is another PS4 title that Sony hasn’t announced a release date for just yet, but we’re hopeful it will come out in 2017 so we can put our android instincts to the test.

While we’re not sure if this game will end up as a launch title for Nintendo’s new Switch console, we’ll play it on whatever hardware we can. Blending classic character design with a huge open world, it’s shaping up to be the most ambitious Zelda game ever made.